Encyclopedia Virginia shares the history of a book based on a historic event in Virginia. The Confessions of Nat Turner, a novel by William Styron, was published in 1967 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1968.
African American Heritage
Rita Dove
Encyclopedia Virginia profiles Virginia author Rita Dove. Rita Dove is widely regarded as one of America's finest living poets, and first African American Poet Laureate of the United States.
Virginia’s First Africans
Virginia’s first Africans arrived at Point Comfort, on the James River, late in August 1619. There, “20. and odd Negroes” from the Dutch ship White Lion were sold in exchange for food and some were transported to Jamestown, where they were sold again, likely into slavery. Historians have long believed these Africans to have...
Moton School Strike and Prince Edward County School Closings
On April 23, 1951, students at Robert Russa Moton High School in the town of Farmville, VA walked out of school to protest the conditions of their education.
Henry Box Brown
Encyclopedia Virginia tells the story of a man who shipped himself from Richmond, VA to Philadelphia, PA.
Black Confederates
Through most of the war, the Confederate government's official policies toward black men maintained that those men were laborers, not soldiers.
Morgan v. Virginia
Encyclopedia Virginia tells the story of Morgan v. Virginia, an often-overlooked landmark case of the civil rights movement.
Massive Resistance
Encyclopedia Virginia explores the policy of Massive Resistance adopted by Virginia's state government to block the desegregation of public schools.
The Loving Story
Using found footage from the 1960s and contemporary interviews, this film tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving: an interracial couple who were married at a time when interracial marriage was illegal in 16 states.
VFH a Wise Investment
Thanks to Dominion a new digital archive will preserve historic images and other documents of Virginia Indian Tribes.